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How to de-stink fleece?

PiggieMamaKelly

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Does anyone have any tips or tricks they have found helpful when they wash fleece and towels? I use a lot of laundrey detergent, put it on the "sanitary" cycle which lasts about an hour and a half. Everything is clean, but that slightly stinky piggie odor is never totally gone. Is this just a fact of life or is there anything that can help? I guess they're going to stink it up again anyway, but when you take something out of the dryer you sort want to smell something fresh and clean...
 

my2humandads

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Have you tried using white vinegar instead of softener in the laundry softener dispenser?
 

PiggieMamaKelly

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ooh, that's a great idea. Vinegar is great for deoderizing. Didn't even think of it. I'll try it next washing. Thanks!
 

homeschoolmama

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Yep, vinegar is a great idea. I learned while cloth-diapering my daughter that Dr. Bronner's soap works well for deoderizing as well. I use that instead of detergent on our piggie fleece & towels and haven't had a problem with odor.
 

SpoiledlilPigs

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I usually put half a cup full of Biz bleach for colors. Never can smell any piggie odors on anything after its clean.

Lots of people have suggested vinegar as well so that obviously works too.
 

JennG

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What do you use under your fleece? I don't use anything in the wash but detergent. I didn't use anything in the dryer until winter and now I have to put in a fabric sheet to reduce the static electricity. I've never had any odor after they've been washed.
 

PiggieMamaKelly

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JennG said:
What do you use under your fleece? I don't use anything in the wash but detergent. I didn't use anything in the dryer until winter and now I have to put in a fabric sheet to reduce the static electricity. I've never had any odor after they've been washed.

I put a layer of towels directly under the fleece and puppy pads under the towels. Maybe I have extra stinky pigs! I figured this stinky fleece thing was universal. I am anxious to try the vinegar next time I wash.
 

JennG

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Do you have boys? Maybe that's why it stinks more than mine. I have all girls but they don't leave "butt glue" all over the place like I've heard boys do.
 

PiggieMamaKelly

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JennG said:
Do you have boys? Maybe that's why it stinks more than mine. I have all girls but they don't leave "butt glue" all over the place like I've heard boys do.

I have all girls!!! What the heck is wrong with my piggies!!!?? I better have a talk with them. lol I just thought of one thing though, I do laundry at my boss's house (Im a nanny), because it costs me less than paying at my condo complex. So, when I take all the dirty bedding out, I put it in a trash bag and it sits there for a day or two till I take it to work. Maybe that's it, it has time to fester. Who knows.
 

smoot

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I have girls and their fleece was stinky, too. I don't think it's a gender thing (unless we both have exceptionally smelly girls!)
 

JennG

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Well I just washed my fleece and it does have a musty odor when I put it in to be washed but it came out ok. Hmm?
 

KPIGGY

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I don't seem to have problems with mine when it is washed. I do put it on a 60 degree wash and use a liquid detergant and a fabric softner.
Are you putting too much stuff in your machine at once?
 

JennG

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Ooo good point. I have a huge cage and usually do two loads of laundry just for the girls.
 

KPIGGY

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I normally do two loads also. The fleece that lines the bottom of the cage goes in on its own as it has a bed protector, terry toweling sheet and fleece all sewn together. The next load has the fleece and jumpers that they use to sleep in and the small pet bed.
Cage is 30 x 85 inches.
 

PiggieMamaKelly

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I do put in alot at once with the towels, fleece and carpets for a 2 X 6 cage. It is pretty full when I dump all that in. Maybe your right, I am putting too much "funk" for the washer to de-stink all at once. I'll decrease my load size, and use some vinegar, we'll see how that works. Maybe I should try fabric softener too. I always held off on it because I thought maybe it was too much for them being that they have such sensitive noses. But if you use it and it's ok, Im sure that would do wonders for the stink. Thanks everyone!
 

Ly&Pigs

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I've been hearing a lot of stuff about fabric softener breaking down the fleece and not letting the fleece do its wicking action. I never used fabric softener in the wash itself but I used to put an unscented fabric softener sheet in the dryer with the fleece. I have stopped using it completely and only use about 1/2 cup of vinegar in the wash with detergent with bleach alternative in it.
 

jdomans

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Fabric softener actually makes a waterproof type barrier on your clothing. If you wash towels with the 'normal' amount of softener you will have a difficult time getting dry. If you don't use any softener or maybe half the amount on the bottle your towels will be much more absorbent. So this would make your fleece less absorbent if washed in fabric softener.

I think my cage stinks. Jeff says it smells like a hay barn. We are now using hay from my daughter but I am just not sure. I change the fleece out on day three each time. I have my fleece tacked down to a few layers of mattress pads etc. I am thinking that I should pop the thread and lay down a towel then the mattress pads. It never stops does it!?
 

WEAVER

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jdomans--I don't know if the towels is going to make that much of a difference. I too think I can smell the cage more now that I am using fleece and I use two layers of towels and puppy pads. Like you I am changing the entire cage out about every three days, once I got four days. Maybe we are used to the smell of the wood chips keeping the urine smell down, I am not sure. I love using the fleece and so do the piggies, but it is a whole lot more work to keep the smell down and it looking clean.
 

TOCAVIES2LUV

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I never even thought about the fabric softner issue. When I first started using fleece, I had no smell after 5 days. But now that I have washed it a few more times and put it in the dryer with an unscented fabric softner sheet, it is starting to smell after 2-3 days. Plus, I use cloth baby diapers under the fleece which have also been getting the fabric softner. I will have to wash everyting next time without the fabric softner and see if it gets better.
 

jdomans

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Weaver and others, In another thread I posted about how I feel I am set free! Henriettaah said that she uses 3 layers of cheap towels under her fleece. well for whatever reason it clicked with me. I made two runs to Wally World. I first bought some of the regular size bath towels for $2.88 ea. and then went back and got the bath sheets for $4 each. I am thrilled to say that I changed the cage out on Wednesday and today is Friday and there is absolutely NO odor at all. The fleece is dry and my house doesn't smell like a barn anymore. I am using two layers of towels. so my laers are in this order:
Top to bottom
fleece
2 towels
mattress pads cut to size (optional for cushioning)
water proof crib pads

I did have it all sewn together but snipped my threads and it washes easier and lays down nicer. Everything seemed to shift so much each time I washed it that it wouldn't lay down flat and smoothly anymore. Look in my gallery and see the potty area. I saw the $1 fleece baby blankets and folded one over a baby lap pad and laid it behind the beds and under the pigloo. Dry as a bone!
 
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